Have a Peaceful and Safe Independence Day Eric!I got this a few years ago, but it’s still just as relevant…THE 4TH OF JULY Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured

before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving

in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the

Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their

sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were

farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but

they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the

penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of

Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the

seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his

debts, and died in rags..

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move

his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and

his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and

poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,

Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr.., noted that the British

General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.

He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was

destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed

his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their 13

children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to

waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning

home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. Some of us take

these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn’t.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and

silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they

Mike, thanks for the reminder. Way too many people think freedom is something owed to them because they live in the U.S.. Bit it was earned by many people who risked and sacrificed everything for it, and it has been maintained by countless thousands who have done the same down through the years.

My first cousin eight generations back, John Hancock, signed his name very large because he was proud to declare his freedom, and his willingness to die for it. Americans can and should be proud, but we must never forget that we all share, in some way, the responsibility of preserving and protecting that which has been given to us through the blood and sweat of others.

Happy Independence Day, all. We will be in transit back to Anchorage today. Gonna go down to the garage and see if I can get my smart phone to take pictures of my small shop here that is beginning to take shape.